Make Your Resource States Immediately Available

The notion of anchoring is one of the central concepts of NLP (neurolinguistic programming — Ed.). It concerns a natural phenomenon which consists in associating an external stimulus to an internal state. The memory trigger is a famous example of spontaneous anchoring. By eating a sponge finger cake, Proust remembers in greatest detail a scene from his childhood. In this case, the trigger is a taste (stimuli) which awakens nostalgia (internal state). There are many other possibilities of anchorings. We can have associated the first notes of a song to a very joyful evening or the image of a beach with the sensation of relaxation. Most anchors are unconscious, but we can create them deliberately. Then, instead of undergoing a particular mood, we can choose it. Anchoring is one of the simplest ways of taking control of your mood and having access to an array of resource states.

We call ‘resource states’, the states which are optimal to live a situation (courage, relaxation or concentration) and ‘limiting states’ those which hinder and damage us (stress, fear, lack of motivation, etc.).

Managing internal states consists in choosing the adequate internal state in a given situation, being able to engage it and knowing how to remain in this state during the situation. In parallel, we learn to avoid entering invalidating states and to deactivate them. We can also create beforehand positive anchors which will be activated when needed.

Being able to draw from one’s wealth, the question to ask is: ‘What is the most appropriate internal state to face this situation?’

Find a previous situation where you lived this positive state. Mentally relive the scene with your five senses until you intensely get in touch with the resource state then associate it to a sensory anchoring: a pressure on the skin or a small victorious “Yes!” Personally, I like the anchoring which consists in closing the fist as if we were holding our internal state in our hand. So that the anchor works, you need to place it as soon as you enter this resource state entirely. Then, by doing the exact same gesture, the resource state returns with the same intensity. Do not choose a gesture that is too common; the anchor would be quickly worn out by other requests. Contrary to behaviouristic practices, if the anchor is well placed, it is not necessary to repeat it, to guarantee longetivity.

All the resources necessary for your evolution are inside you. You can now condemn the access to your old highways of gloom, discouragement and rumination. Anchor all these beautiful resources which you have in you: your state of awakening and curiosity, your benevolence, your optimism…

For example, now, which resource do you need to integrate your overefficiency? I would personally suggest you anchor a curiosity and pure wonderment like a child who discovers a park with swings. So you shall study yourselves by thinking “What a beautiful brain! It is fantastic to be able to be a lemur in my tree-like thoughts! Yahoo, it’s so fast in my head!”

Original text by CHRISTEL PETITCOLLIN from I Think Too Much: How to Channel Intrusive Thoughts (isbn:9782813220646) translated from French by S.A. TEDMAN

Cover picture: Lucas Pezeta

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Here and Only Here (3)

Ghost Teachers

EYAEL: Teachers look like ghosts. It's as if they"d just blended into the background or belonged to another dimension.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: It's part of the things that were brought against me by many teachers. Some teachers read the book and didn't like it precisely because it didn't give a positive image of the teaching profession.

When I wrote the book — again, the original title was Tales of Here and Only Here, and it wasn't meant as some kind of state of play of the existing education system.

I remember when I was in grammar school, all the teaching staff were ghosts. I hardly have any memory of classes, of what I've been taught. But I do remember school yards. I remember what was going on in between classes. Personally, that's what affected me most. Actually I think that's where a major part of learning was taking place ultimately. It wasn't with the theoretical knowledge in class.

And so I'd say in this story, clearly they're twicely — let's say ghosts. First because I deliberately chose to sideline them. And also because, since it's written from the perspective of youth, actually for them as well mostly, teachers are more present than they imagine. It's just that, for them, they too have blind spots. They only see their immediate reality. But they're still part of it.

I've had multiple feedback from teachers saying "Wow, that's not really enticing. And it doesn't give a positive image of our profession." I felt bad as it was so NOT my intention. I had absolutely no desire whatsoever to speak out.

Yet I thought it's a bit like in — pardon the parallel, but it's a bit like in Batman. For the Batman figure to emerge, it took a police system at best incompetent and at at worst corruptive. If the system were doing their job properly, the Batman figure would not be able to emerge. And so I thought that's the point too. If it were a school where everything's fine, with good communication and stuff, it might not be the same story at all anymore. And this wasn't what I wanted to write about.

In fact, the problem Here isn’t so much that it doesn’t change. It’s more that everything starts again. And I’m scared.

~ The substitute teacher

I have no desire to condemn in any way, as it's mostly the system which is being set up. The mechanism which is being re-enacted from one playground to another, from one generation to the next. And it's like an never-ending cycle. People are quickly labelled. And of course, there are the victims, the abusers, and those who belong to neither category but are caught in the middle.

Timelessness Minus the Internet

EYAEL: The story could easily take place anywhere anytime except that the current existing technologies seem out of it. Don't you think that with the Internet dimension, the story might not have ended the same way?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Indeed, I really wanted to provide the most timeless dimension possible. Incidentally, the original title wasn't Here and Only Here, but Tales of Here and Only Here.

Actually, I did make a reference albeit a subtle one — I do mention certain things which might suggest they may have phones. But it's very subtle. For instance, at some point I mention there's some video trafficking going on. They're sharing videos, but I make no mention of what it is. There's one who's got a games console. Let's say these are small indicators that it's not set in the early 20th century.

But clearly, it wasn't what I wanted to explore. I think I'd need a whole book entirely dedicated to cyberbullying to provide such a dimension. So I thought, “no, I'm not getting into that dimension. I'm just sticking to the grounds of Here”. Especially since the initial aim was to talk about the place. I thought with the Internet, we might wander off a bit. But it might be interesting, indeed to explore a story based on the same premise, but this time, all the way on to the Internet.

It's so hard for me to imagine what they must experience with this strong Internet presence with regard to grammar school. So honestly, I don't know.

EYAEL: Isn't there a risk that it might prevent today's youth from identifying with the story?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: I, for one, know that when I was a schoolgirl,I had no trouble immersing myself in books about grammar schools that took place in the 19th century.

I remember, for instance, Little Good-For-Nothing by Alfonse Daudet which begins in some kind of boarding school in which Little Good-For-Nothing is a supervisor at the beginning. Well, clearly it was far from sensing what I would experience, yet the issues were there. He was the fall guy. And I would totally identify with him.

Or Carrots.I really loved Carrots (by Jules Renard). Incidentally I read the book in grammar school and re-read it many times since. It's extremely tough.

School Bullying

EYAEL: School bullying is a taboo issue generating buzz at the moment, but  actually, nothing is done to really address it. So in this regard, your book is rather timely.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Actually, with this grammar school issue, what's taking place behind the walls of schools and the whole issue of bullying in particular, but not only — I realise that (maybe less today) it's kind of taboo for it's something I hadn't addressed with anyone for a very long time. In my experience, with all the people, friends I've made afterwards, we never address these issues.

So when the book was released and I heard stories from people telling me “Well, this is the reason why this book shook me”, I thought this is quite alarming. Actually, I realise nine persons out of ten did have a very bad experience at grammar school. That ratio is scary.

And so I thought, “Wow! I thought I was the only one.” At grammar school, I felt very lonely. I felt like everything was okay for everyone except me. And now I realise actually I wasn't. It was painful for many.

So my feeling is that it's a sort of micro-society, but we'll find all this happening on a larger scale afterwards and that primary school won't prepare you to all this. You come from a very supportive, cocooned and regulated environment, and then, all of a sudden, you've got new codes but they're untold. They're extremely implicit and if you don't have the keys, it's not easy.

So I for one was lucky that there were no social media when I was at grammar school. Really, I think copying with all this today at school … That thing is pure harassment. I mean, before when you left the place, you really did. You weren't happy to go back, but once you had left … Whereas now with social media, it follows you home. There's no break anymore. In fact, it can continue. That how I imagine how scary it must be.

EYAEL: Do the people once subjected to school bullying really want to immerse into that again?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Actually, the whole issue with this novel, was precisely “Who is the target audience?” We did wonder and still do.

In fact, I realised what happened with the Mirror Visitor is that, ultimately, it was mostly parents — moms who read the book to see if it was suitable for their children and eventually became my first readers. And after that, they passed the book onto their kids. But when moms read Here and Only Here, “I don't want my child to read that. It scares me.”

It's scary either because they're about to enter grammar school or they're already in, and they're afraid to frighten their kids. So my publisher had assumed that it was supposedly aimed mainly at students leaving grammar school or already out of it. Ultimately, grammar school students were not the target audience. It was mostly those in the next phase.

There are people who carry that within for many years. At my personal level, which is not necessarily extreme, I realise that I've been haunted by grammar school for nearly my entire life. And in fact, in order to move on, I had to write this book. I thought, “That's it! Now I can say I'm definitely out.”

EYAEL: I don't know if you remember "College Boy", that famous music video Indochine released in the early 2000's. It featured a grammar school boy being bullied by his schoolmates and who ended up literally crucified before being shot down. There was a whole hullabaloo about it at the time and it had been censored in France.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Since you mention Indochine's music video, I came across — but I can't remember the titles — many Japanese and Korean dramas addressing this issue in a very direct way. They're going full way! Really, they're showing scenes of how it all begins so that, very quickly, someone may find themselves excluded from a class. And all the abuse that may ensue, first psychological and even physical. Sometimes it may escalate. And I've seen many of these dramas. For me, it was amazing as I don't often see such staging, the way it is addressed and shown. I thought that's really tough, but it's something very real.

That's what we were talking about. Ultimately, it's a microcosm which is the reflection of something occurring on a larger scale. And it begins to take shape at that time.

New Upcoming Book

EYAEL: Do you have any other writing project underway?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: What I can say at least — at this point, I think that's certain, there's a book coming out on Gallimard Jeunesse in November.

It's the novel I mentioned earlier on, the story I started writing right after the Mirror Visitor and which was temporarily suspended by the writing of Here and Only Here. And as a result, it is a bit like a bridge between both. Then, actually, world-wise speaking, it's purely fantasy since it's not our world and not exactly our humanity. It's very similar, but just like the Mirror Visitor, it's pretty similar but it's not.

Except this time, I was very inspired by the 1980's in terms of general atmosphere. That's my childhood years, that is. So I said, “I want Walkmans, I want rollers, I want Minitels …” In terms of colouring, I kind of wanted that 1980's texture. So strictly speaking, it's fantasy. But my publisher, I think, will be more specific and label it as dystopia.

Since it's been written right after the Mirror Visitor and before Here and Only Here, you may feel it. Even though I picked it up again after I completed the latter, I think you'll actually feel the Mirror Visitor touch as well as the Here and Only Here touch, while it's like neither of them.

© La Pensine Mutine. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

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Humanity in the Face of Fate

New Moon Eclipses are among the most exciting astrological events. They herald a complete change of pace. It's as though you're headed in one direction, probably being guided by your ego, and then here comes the Divine — the Goddess or Spirit — to turn you instead to face the direction you actually need to go.

Yasmin Boland, Moonology

In all eras, from early civilisations, that would regard them as messages from the gods, to modern civilisations the god of science told them were just the shadow of the moon momentarily obscuring the sun when aligning in between the latter and Earth, eclipses never ceased to both fascinate and terrify mankind. While it's actually a matter of perspective if the moon, which is 400 times smaller than the sun, looks larger. It's only because, at the time of watching the sky, it's 400 times closer to Earth. In fact, it's mostly the rarity and brevity of these astronomical events which seem to trigger so much dread and fascination.

I, for certain, do not intend to discuss the various doomsday prophecies nor the many “conspiracy” scenarios which can be found online, but I do have many questions. I'm wondering because, for a change, all the varying perspectives, from the most eccentric to the really practical, seem to converge and agree on one fundamental issue: humanity is now up against the wall.

First of all, if anyone would like to enjoy this rare sighting, I'm afraid the eclipse on 8th April will only be visible across the North-American continent and Gulf of Mexico for a maximum duration of 4 minutes 30. It will be the second total solar eclipse visible across the United States since 1918 — the first occurred on 21st August 2017. Federal authorities are expecting huge inflows of eclipse hunters willing to travel thousands of miles in order to witness this uncommon event in action. So far, it's hardly surprising as regards to American people as they're always looking for sensations, one may say.

Things get interesting, even challenging, when you hear that National Guard units will be deployed as well as “22 members of a special biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear unit [who] will be present if necessary”. FEMA is also reported to be on the case. Residents of Oklahoma, on the path of the eclipse, have even been urged to store food, water and gas for a couple of weeks. They're also being informed that communication channels might be saturated, impacting the mobile network…

All this for a mere eclipse?!

Intrigued, I decided to generate the chart of the event using the one and only true astrology^†, that is sidereal astrology which takes the precession of equinoxes into account and you'll see how significant this “detail” is.

A Patch of Sea Between Heaven and Earth

In that day they will roar over it
like the roaring of the sea.
And if one looks at the land,
there is only darkness and distress;
even the sun will be darkened by clouds.

Isaiah 5:30

The chart of next week's eclipse is somewhat unique in the sense that all the planets are gathered on one third of the zodiacal circle, forming a pattern called bundle or wedge, the edges of which are occupied by Pluto (god of the underworld) aka the Great Reformer and Uranus (god of heaven) aka the Great Awakener with Neptune (god of the sea), master of the eclipse in Pisces, standing on the midpoint between these two planets.

The first troubling fact is that Pluto in sidereal Capricorn (the sign of power, governments and institutions) is conjunct Altair, the brightest star of the Aquila constellation, the Eagle which happens to be the symbol of the USA. Now, the last time this conjunction occurred (as seen from the Earth, Altair is a fixed star and Pluto takes about 250 years to revolves around the ecliptic/zodiac) was on the declaration of independence of the United States of America on 4th July 1776.

Another interesting “detail” is that Uranus, at the outer edge of the bundle planetary pattern, is conjunct (3 degree orb) the Sun of the creation of the state of Israel on 14th May 1948 at 27°26 sidereal Aries, whereas the latter is conjunct Algol the demon star.

Even more unsettling are the combined paths of the two Great American eclipses, 7 years apart, intersecting to form a gigantic X across the USA as you can see on the above picture. Could it be the marking-off the end as for Nineveh, the last capital of the Assyrian Empire as mentioned in the Bible? Oddly enough, the previous eclipse path had crossed 7 American cities named Salem (meaning “peace” and which was also the name of Jerusalem at the time of King Abraham) whereas the path of next will cross 7 cities named Nineveh.

Please, note the predominance of number 7 which, numerology-wise, happens to be in analogy with planet Neptune.

7 in the Belly of the Fish

Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah,
and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 1:17

Jonah is a prophet mentioned in all three Abrahamic religions — which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. God sent him to Nineveh for the great city to repent of its decadent ways. But Jonah disobeyed and took a ship to Tarshish instead, which was in the opposite direction. In order to punish him, God created a terrible storm. Concerned with preserving his companions in misfortune from the Divine wrath, Jonah asked them to throw him overboard and the turbulent sea came to peace. Jonah did not drown but was swallowed by a huge fish in the belly of which he was held for three days and three nights, imploring Divine forgiveness. On the fourth day, he was cast upon the shore.

The Bundle pattern condensing the energies of all eleven planets in one third of the zodiac is even more potent since it harbours a stellium or cluster of 7 planets and points in sidereal Pisces (that is Neptune, Venus, North Node, Moon, Sun, Chiron and Mercury). Associated with, amongst other things, Christic energies, spirituality, reincarnation, the subconscious, dreams, imagination, intuition, empathy, invisible worlds and hidden things, Pisces is an elusive nocturnal dual sign as illustrated on my cover picture. It is related to the 12th house of seclusion, ordeals, secret enmities and betrayal as well as ambivalent Neptune which may bring to enlightenment as well as to confusion; to redemption as well as to perdition; to merging as well as to alienation.

Note that the planets clustered together in a stellium act as one, providing a special emphasis of the sign they occupy. Each planet relies on all others as one united family. This stellium is even more potent as its ruler Neptune is part of the cluster and conjunct Scheat, a giant red star from the Pegasus constellation which could potentially cause flooding. Interesting since the elusive Q advises to “watch the water”.

Out of water all life comes.

The Koran

Neptune, the archetype of universal love and ruler of our evolution (North Node) and Mercury, ruler of our collective karma (South Node) are located at either end of the cluster. Neptune is directly conjunct Venus, the planet of worldly love and opposite true Lilith (shadow self) in sidereal Virgo, which should challenge humankind to confront its illusions, unravel its unconscious patterns and fears, while serving as a catalyst for its spiritual evolution. Mercury retrograde on the day of the eclipse calls to introspection and forces us to look back at ourselves.

In addition, Chiron, the Wounded Healer, exactly conjunct the New Moon, suggests a brutal awakening both necessary and salutary, especially as the karmic axis (lunar nodes) is located on the midpoints of this energy bundle. As though the scales from our eyes were taken off in order to force us to face the shadow monster we're desperately attempting to flee. The parallel with the story of Jonah therefore seems totally relevant.

The Finger of God Pointing at Our Karma

And suddenly Ralph shrieked: “Larry! Larry! The Hand of God!” Ralph’s face was transported in a terrible joy. His eyes shone. He was pointing into the sky.

Larry looked up. He saw the ball of electricity Flagg had flicked from the end of his finger. It had grown to a tremendous size. It hung in the sky, jittering toward Trashcan Man, giving off sparks like hair. Larry realized dimly that the air was now so full of electricity that every hair on his own body was standing on end.

And the thing in the sky did look like a hand.

“Noooo!” the dark man wailed.

Larry looked at him ... but Flagg was no longer there. He had a bare impression of something monstrous standing in front of where Flagg had been. Something slumped and hunched and almost without shape—something with enormous yellow eyes slit by dark cat’s pupils.

Then it was gone.

Larry saw Flagg’s clothes—the jacket, the jeans, the boots—standing upright with nothing in them. For a split second they held the shape of the body that had been inside them. And then they collapsed.

Stephen King, The Stand

Usually, the planetary pattern called Yod or Finger of God only applies to planets or luminaries — not to hypothetical points such as the lunar node axis in this case. However, with such a peculiar chart, I find it further emphasises the message as if the Universe wanted it to stand out clearly like a neon sign in the dark of night.

See the large green arrow shape made of two quincunxes (adjustment) with the Mars-Saturn pair (considered action) in Aquarius on one hand, and the Uranus-Jupiter pair (social justice) in Aries on the other hand, all pointed toward the South Node of karma in sidereal Virgo like a laser beam.

Besides, Mars and Uranus are in mutual reception (i.e. in each other's sign of rulership) potentially prompting to violence and impulsiveness. With Black Moon Lilith on the firing line teaming with Pluto, all dark issues related to satanism and paedophilia the general public didn't want to hear about or even consider until now, could be irrefutably exposed at long last, triggering knee-jerk reactions and anger.

Let Go of the Tail of the Dragon or Sink

Virgo and Pisces, that's the Christ axis. In the Christian era, these are the two constellations that influenced the development of the qualities of Virgo and Pisces within human souls: purity and love of neighbour. You know, the early Christians weren't symbolised by the cross, they were symbolised by the fish. […]
All men have two fishes and five cakes of bread, but the majority are partly fed. They solely feed the physical plane, unaware that they also need to feed the spiritual plane.

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov, Le Zodiaque, clé de l'homme et de l'univers

The South Node in sidereal Virgo symbolises excessive materialism and intellectual inflexibility. Just like Saint Thomas, ordinary people only believe in the tangible and repress their sensitivity and intuition. In order to believe, they need to see first. Here you go!

The message of the Eclipse is to let go of the mind which has been hacked by the involutive forces operating in the shadows — and pulling the strings of the official puppet clowns acting as our leaders — to reconnect to the Divine Source, the Christ energy within, by way of the heart and unconditional love. Letting go of our limiting beliefs (Virgo) to embrace our infinite creative potential (Pisces).

The theme is that of acceptance, forgiveness, healing, and redemption, but again, Neptunian energies are ambivalent. What about the fish that chooses to remain in the involutive shadow of the tail of the Dragon while the other chooses to face and transcend its past in order to evolve and get out of the vicious circle?

Judgement Day

Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming,
“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”

Jonah 3:4

40 days after the eclipse would be mid-May, the anniversary date of the creation of Israel when the returning Sun is conjunct violent Algol again (since it's a fixed star), supported by exuberant Jupiter. I will say no more as I'm neither a fortune teller nor a fatalist. Astrology is not a crystal ball, but rather a tool for self-knowledge in our pursuit of evolution.

Numerology is too and it's interesting to note how the numbers of the day, correlating with the major arcana of Tarot, echo the chart of the eclipse. Thus 2024 is a 8 universal year (2+0+2+4) of Justice or the Law of Return in analogy with Libra.

April is a 12 universal month (4+8) of the Hanged Man or the Crossing of the Desert in analogy with Neptune, letting go and the need to change perspectives. It may also suggests a reversal just like the 8-shaped hourglass you turn over when the time is up. A new cycle.

The 8th (again!) is a 20 universal day (8+12) of Judgement or Reconnection in analogy with Pluto and the Phoenix. Dying to ourselves and being born again. Clearing out what no longer serves us and undermines our collective evolution.

Reduced to a number between 1 and 9, it's a 2 universal day (2+0) of the Great Priestess or Inner Sanctuary of introspection in analogy with the Moon.

2 is also the number of duality and the 2 fishes. 2 timelines?

Back to the predominance of number 7 as mentioned earlier, it's often associated with God and Divine Perfection. The 7th major arcanum of tarot is that of the Chariot of victory or Steering Power. This is what is requested of us whenever we're torn between two opposing forces in order to keep focused on the middle way.

We've had a 7-year period (of reflection or misfortune depending on our mindset) in between two eclipses to see what lies behind the curtain of the Magician of Oz and decide where we stand. To see or not to see, that was the question. Sometimes it's not enough to tell people, you need to show them. That's why we've had 7 years of veil-tearing over what we call reality, so that a large number of souls could wake up. The Devil worshippers are so no longer hiding and, over the last few months, we've had a real ever-increasing flood of filth on display, so that anyone condoning these acts or words can no longer use the excuse of not knowing.

I see it as some kind of a countdown expiring soon or just being activated; the last remaining grains of sand flowing through the bottleneck of an hourglass. Place your bets! The wheel is turning. The die is cast. There's a parting of the ways. When? How? I don't know, it's just how I feel.

Endnotes

• ^ “Our zodiacal reference tool is modelled on the genuine constellations of the sky. Not the astronomic constellations since they vary in length, but the configuration of the Mesopotamians who, thousands of years ago, identified 12 major star clusters on the ecliptic path of the Sun. I mean 12 and not 13 as there are 12 constellations with their main star on the ecliptic. At the time, the first sign was Taurus since it was the Age of Taurus. When we entered the Age of Aries, Aries became the first sign and ever since we entered the Age of Pisces, that was 1,800 years ago, it should have become the first sign. It hasn't because a Persian cult (the Khorasanians) fixed the false Aries as the first sign of the zodiac and this heresy spread all over Europe […] The sidereal zodiac is based on stars whereas the tropical zodiac is based on the seasons of the Northern hemisphere regardless of stars.” (Source)

© La Pensine Mutine. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited.

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Here and Only Here (2)

Percentage of Life Experience

EYAEL: In this book, one can feel you're drawing really deep onto emotions so there must be a great deal of personal life experience in it. What percentage do you reckon?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Gosh, I'm totally helpless with figures so I won't speculate on any percentage. But I think there's not a single page in this book which is not alluding to something I either directly experienced or witnessed and which struck me. Then, it's highly transformed as I didn't experience it all literally and because there's still a magical dimension to this story.

It's true that, not so long ago, I had the opportunity to read an excerpt from the book, whereas I hadn't re-read it and I thought, “did I write that, really? Oh yes, that's true. Wow! That's crazy.” Now with a little more perspective, I thought, it's truly a spicy meatball. At the time of writing, it felt very different. That's how I noted the huge discrepancy between what it felt like during the writing process and how it might feel for the reader.

I know the very first draft, when I wanted to write a story about grammar school, before the Mirror Visitor, clearly, I was biased. I think I was resentful. There was a mixture of resentment and guilt. And I think I wanted to settle scores, which is a terrible reason. Fortunately, it didn't happen. Anyway I quickly realised it rang false, so I stopped.

Whereas when this book came to me, I really didn't want to settle scores, I'd rather see things from their own perspective. I thought maybe it wasn't that easy. Ultimately, it's some kind of jungle and that's a defence mechanism like any other.

Still I wouldn't condone all of it. However understanding a different perspective, I think that's what was the most liberating thing for me. Stepping out of myself, my personal history, disengaging from that, and saying "Okay, I'm getting back in the bullring, but with other perspectives which weren't necessarily mine since all the characters aren't like me.”

The characters have nothing to do with me, but it allows me to see things differently. It's another perspective And you can understand. which doesn't mean condoning. There's no judging. Let's say it's not autobiographical, strictly speaking. Otherwise I would have written a life story and personally, I would have found that far less interesting.

But indeed, the aim was to step out of the narrow prism of what I had experienced, of how I had perceived it. And all of a sudden I thought “well, those people I ran along with, how did it feel for them? How did they experience it?” As for myself, to personify that as a writer, that was exciting. I thought, “well, now I'm totally stepping out of my personal history and it's getting larger than my own self.”

It doesn't necessarily mean I will hit home, but I'm trying. I'm trying to see things from another perspective, strictly speaking.

Influences

EYAEL: I can't help drawing a parallel with Stephen King's It novel. However different both words may be, the issues are the same — namely adults turning a blind eye and having no significant presence; repeating cycles; kids disappearing; and even something similar to the “bogs from hell”.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Well, I must confess I don't think I ever read any Stephen King book. I think the only one I ever read was his essay on writing. Actually, I don't really know his world. But it's disconcerting. Really disconcerting.

EYAEL: It also reminded me of Haraki Murakami, a Japanese author a friend introduced me to — as without realising it, you shift from harsh realism to some supernatural dimension without embracing the codes of fantasy per say. The boundaries are quite blurred.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Regarding the supernatural dimension, I didn't realise it at the time.It's only later, when asked “Actually, what kind of book is this?” That was right before it hit the shelves. There has been considerable talk with my publisher. Indeed, what kind of book is this?

After careful consideration, I'm thinking about magic realism which is a Latin American literary trend. Actually, when I was a student, I studied Spanish at the university and read some books from this literary trend, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I think I may also include the House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. And a novel I really enjoyed was A House in the Country by José Donoso, with such an atmosphere — exactly the type of enclosed place in which sort of coexist a very harsh reality and a small-step-aside dimension that leaves you wondering whether it's true or not. Is it really this supernatural dimension or is it the characters' delusion? It's very difficult to say and I love that! That uncertainty.

But uncertainty is not always well-lived. I think some readers would prefer it to be more clear-cut and to be said. The fact that somehow it's up to them to decide, some like it and some don't. I don't think I'll always systematically write the same type of endings. But in this case, for me, it made sense. I think it's kind of like scales. I do tip them, one way more than the other. But you see, closed endings or which provide very polarised answers are not what I feel most comfortable with. I want to offer something else.

Characters

EYAEL: In my opinion, Vincent and Sofie are the two most significant characters in the story, in the sense that they truly bring change to other characters and advance the plot itself. Still, they're not part of the narrators of this choral novel. Was it deliberate?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: In fact, looking back, but it wasn't during the writing process, I actually realise I pretty much only talk about pairs.

Because the Iris character, her whole story revolves around her sister — her sis; for Madeleine, it's in regard to Louise; for Guy, it's in regard to Sofie; and for Pierre, t's in regard to Vincent. And I realised each of these characters actually develops in regard to another character.

And as you say, in this case, Vincent and Sofie are very interesting characters indeed. They come up with something else. Something totally different from the codes of grammar school. And in a way, they stand on quite hazardous grounds. Here, Vincent puts Pierre at risk. It's both fascinating and dangerous.

As for Sofie, she's the middle way. Personally, Sofie is one of my favourite characters. I think I would have loved to have a Sofie in my class in grammar school. She can see clearly. She can see it's kind of a great delusion ultimately. That it's all a game, really. Some kind of play in which everyone has a role. She says "Okay, no thanks, it's a game. It's just that I'm NOT playing it".

EYAEL: Each character seems to have a highly meaningful name in regard to what they are.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: I know that as regard to naming, for the Mirror Visitor, I had chosen all the characters' names by ear because it sounded great. And then we found out that etymologically it had significant meaning, which was totally unintended. Otherwise it might indeed have been my subconscious at work.

So I said “now I really want to pick up the names in a very conscious and assumed way”. And I do know why I gave each one their name.

EYAEL: So Iris is the one with the all-seeing eye …

CHRISTELLE DABOS: That's right!

Sofie listened to me … what’s that word again? Intently. It’s like she touches my words with every inch of her skin, and captures something underlying them, some hidden meaning that completely escapes me. I really don’t listen like she does.

~ Guy

EYAEL: Sofie is the voice of wisdom … but why is it spelled with an “F”?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: As for Sofie, I did a search as I wanted to know the most popular girl name in the world. And actually, that was Sofie, Sofia, but with an F as the PH was specifically French. I said I want that name to sound the most universal possible.

I’m the odd number, the jack of spades, the lousy kid, and no one can take that away from me.

~ Pierre

EYAEL: Pierre (which also means “stone” in French — Ed.) for hard-heartedness?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Well, for the character named Pierre, his name actually comes from the jack of spades in the deck of cards. In fact, I knew court cards had names. I knew the names of all the kings and queens, but for jacks, I realised I didn't. So when I found Pierre (Peter) was the name of the jack of spades¹, I thought that's perfect.

However, that's just for France. I'm not sure the same goes for other countries.². So, unfortunately, I think when they translated the book, they kept the original French names. I thought it might have made sense to adapt translations for each country. But it's no big deal.

In retrospect, it's rather a good thing since he's always slouching. There's quite a rock-ish side to him.

And I’m already not that keen on dishing out blows as it is, so receiving them …

~ Guy

EYAEL: Guy (or “gui” which is “mistletoe” in French — Ed. ) is a parasite …

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Actually, for Guy's class, I was very much inspired by Robin Hood. It's really a class where you get two clans, the Top ones and the Bottom ones, with these heavy collections — taxes. Except it's a Robin Hood class without Robin Hood.

Incidentally, in the legend of Robin Hood, there's a character who is quite hard to pidgeon-hole. It's Guy of Gisborne who, according to versions, is either a mercenary or the Sheriff's cousin. But he's quite an ambivalent character. You don't always know whose side he's on. So for this character,  I thought, “clearly he's not a Robin Hood”.

Besides, that's the reason why there's also the Prince figure. He's really Prince John.

It’s either her or me; there can’t be two Chosen Ones Here.

~ Madeleine

EYAEL: Madeleine for Mary Magdalene, the martyr?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: So for Madeleine, I was truly inspired by Saint Mary Magdalene whom, in my mind, I crossed over with — but it's not reflected in her name — Joan of Arc. They are actually two saint figures you can merge into one.

Vincent hums right through trig. The hatred festering in the class has no effect on him. He’s an island, Vincent, always has been; pacifism in flesh and bone, but mainly flesh. Separately, we’re odd ones. Together, we’re nothing.

~ Pierre

EYAEL: Vincent reminds me of Saint Vincent who died laughing and singing under torture.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Oh no, I didn't know. For Vincent … I can't remember about Pierre's class. I know it must be an odd number, that's what makes me think he's in a class of 25. It's silly but Vincent sounds like 20-100 (in French vingt cent — Ed.). It's actually a 'digit' name. There are names like that. Also, it was really a matter of numbers for this particular class. Pierre is the odd number.

Our proof of the intramural distortion of the field of reality is an unidentified substance that we have called “the schmoil.” The schmoil is the very reason the Top-Secret Club was founded, when Number One discovered its existence forti … fortuitously in one of the school’s gutters, used to drain away dirty water. One aspect sepci … spefic … specific to the schmoil is that it runs in the gutter just once a week, always on a Thursday and always very precisely at 2:28 P.M., but never during the school holidays.

~ The Top-Secret Club

EYAEL: As for the Top-Secret Club, they are some kind of ”conspiracy theorists”, aren't they? The way they're asking all sorts of questions, investigate and notice all the weird stuff others don't or won't see. That thing with the “schmoil”, in particular — couldn't it be related to the pollution of groundwater supplies?

CHRISTELLE DABOS:  Actually, when I was a kid, that was just before grammar school, with my little brother and neighbours, we would explore the neighbourhood and once we came across a super weird substance in a stream. And for us, there was no doubt the substance was either alien or ghostlike. And since we'd just seen Ghostbusters at the movies …

The thing is we couldn't remember the name. The real name was slime. But we had forgotten and so it became schmoil. We totally distorted the name. We collected samples in test tubes. My neighbour had the Little Chemist boxset and so he conducted experiments to see if I mix this with that …

Of course, nothing came up. But please, don't do that at home! If you find a weird substance in a stream, stay away from it!

We just had no idea.

I must confess that's the childhood memory I reinjected. Because honestly, for my neighbours, my brother and I to come across this weird substance, there's something wrong, really. Kids should never come across such highly suspicious substances.

I must say I had much fun with the Top-Secret Club. They really made me laugh.

Incidentally, their names are never mentioned. It's only Number One, Number Two, Number Three, Number Four and so on. And so neither did I want their gender to be known. I never mention it except for Number Three. With that exception, the rest we don't know whether they are boys or girls. I don't mention it and I think it's not important.

However, the question arose for the audiobook as they had hired actors — I think there was one with a female voice. Basically, since it was written, I thought this way no one knows. We have no idea of their identity and it's not important.

Anyway, their thinking is really far-reaching. Because again, there's an autobiographical edge. When I was 13 — that year, I came upon books in my grand-mother's library and I thought, "oh dear!" For me, if something was written in a book, it had to be true. I had absolutely no critical thinking whatsoever. If it's written, if it's printed, then it must be true.

So I came upon books about all sorts of esoteric matters. There was really all sorts of stuff. So I had this adolescent stage when I would see signs everywhere. And for me it was like a mixture of Madeleine and the Top-Secret Club. I was really into that stuff.

And I had fun with them in the sense that they keep predicting an apocalypse, but somehow they're taking part in it. They do remain behind the scenes, but somehow as observers, they're not so neutral as that.

It's true that humour is very important. This is not my easiest book I must say, but the humour … Regardless of them, there are things I wrote which really made me laugh. But between me laughing my head off and the reader potentially timidly cracking a smile, there may be a small discrepancy. Anyway, clearly I went to great lengths with the Top-Secret Club. And I laughed a lot.

And in this regard, I really enjoyed what they did with the audiobook. Incidentally, all the people who discovered Here and Only Here in its audio form have that in common that they all loved the story (I'm one of these people — Ed.). I did listen to the recordings and found they perfectly captured the spirit. That's exactly how they sounded like in my mind.

To be continued in part 3 …

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Here and Only Here (1)

I discovered the magic pen of Christelle Dabos in 2013 (same year I created this blog) upon the French release of A Winter's Promise, great winner of the first edition of the First Youth Novel Contest organised by Gallimard Jeunesse and other sponsors in the spring of 2012 and which later became part of the international bestselling Mirror Visitor Quartet, available in some twenty languages. For me, Christelle is somehow a French J.K. Rowling, only better — with all due respect to the latter whose books I still love all the same. Incidentally, Harry Potter may indirectly be the reason she began to write as she would enjoy creating fan-fictions of her own featuring Professor Snape.

I first met Christelle in 2020, on a virtual online book fair during lockdown. Since then, we met in real life in June 2023, prior to a book signing session at an indie book store called Ici Grands-Boulevards in Paris. Finally, on 29th February, I had the great honour and privilege to hold a videoconference call meeting with her to talk about her latest book called Here and Only Here (the title of which is directly derived from the above-mentioned Parisian book store), an unclassifiable choral novel inspired by Latin American magic realism and transposed to the ruthless world of grammar school.

I therefore invite you to watch the resulting video I spent so many nights and days editing — mostly due to countless software issues undermining my workflow. I sincerely hope  it will make you want to read the book. Below is the entire translated original transcript (split in three separate parts given its length) which might be more comfortable to read than subtitles. In addition, you'll even find a “bonus chapter” (People's Reactions) which I had to cut from the video in order to remain within a 30-minute time range.

Under the paint, plaster, and cement, inside the walls, deep in the invisible, I detect something I can’t yet name, something seriously fierce that inhabits the whole school and is seeping into my bones. That will soon be part of me.

Iris

U-Turn

EYAEL: Here and Only Here is starkly different from the Mirror Visitor. Both world and character-wise, but also regarding the storytelling and the language. Was it part of a deliberate effort or just a mere product of whimsical inspiration?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: It just came naturally.

Actually, Here and Only Here wasn't written directly in the aftermath of the Mirror Visitor. What happened is that after I completed the fourth volume of the quartet, the writing process had been so intense I had promised myself to take a year off writing because I was really at the end of my rope. But I didn't last 24 hours!

The next day after the last book hit the shelves, I was writing again. Except what I was writing wasn't Here and Only Here. It was another novel. And in that book, I was already experimenting. So right then, I thought “now I really want to try something else”. Like writing in the first person, in the present tense, in a more oral language, using with various narrators … Just at the formal level, I thought “come on, let's break the mould of the Mirror Visitor”. Pow! Here we go.

And actually, I put this book on pause for a while because I was in the midst of moving home right during lockdown. And that relocation which brought about Here and Only Here really wasn't on the agenda. Really not!

In fact, it's dead simple: I moved in front of a school. And so, at the beginning, it brought back memories. First, memories of primary school which, for me, were rather happy and very light-hearted. And then, since memory has its own linear path, all of a sudden, I shifted back to my grammar school years and I thought “oh, there's something there”.

And during this moving period, I remember I was surrounded by boxes and couldn't write in a structured way anymore. I said “okay, I got something that really, really wants to be told so I'll let it come out as is”.

And I wasn't thinking of publishing it. I wasn't at all. I didn't have a target audience. I didn't think “that's a new project that I'm going to submit”. I never considered it, it just happened.

And I thought “it's okay, I'm going to write a short story about some character”. Then a second character emerged; then a third one; then a fourth… And in fact, it created a sort of alternation. I had no plan. I didn't take any note and it wrote itself all the way through.

Honestly, that's the first time it ever happened on a book project.

To Publish or Not To Publish?

EYAEL: So you never considered publishing it?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: I did think of it, but only once I'd completed it.

Actually, even once completed, I thought “well, there's that thing that came out of me. What am I going to do with it?“

I didn't rush immediately. I left the story to rest for a while. Actually, at the time, I had just recently hired a literary agency and I thought “well, let's start with them for this project”. So I submitted my manuscript and that's how it got into the publishing process.

But to be really honest, I think I was in no hurry to get back into it. Because well, it may not look like much, with the Mirror Visitor — there were many great things, that I can't deny — but there was also a very strong and intense psychological pressure.

So when the lockdown occurred, I was really in a golden interlude. I thought “well, anyway, since everything is on hold, there is no other choice than to take a rest”. And for me, it was writing.

Actually, I found my interlude very comfortable. I knew it couldn't last forever, but it was such a weightless experience. I knew that getting the book into the workings of publication would bring back … not necessarily the publishing process itself, but the fact that there were readers and expectations. Especially in the wake of the Mirror Visitor.

Already, with the Mirror Visitor, I was unable to write unless I ignored stuff. So I had to manage to isolate myself in a bubble in order to write
otherwise I couldn't. And that was difficult to achieve. There were times when I couldn't do it as I had too many things to deal with.

So this time, I didn't have to force myself at all. I was already in that bubble. Besides, the story that came up felt kind of obvious and liberating, kind of saying "There's something in here".

People's Reactions

EYAEL: How was the book received by the readers of the Mirror Visitor and also by your publisher after you submitted your project onto them? Weren't you a bit afraid of what their reaction might be?

CHRISTELLE DABOS: First, as regards to the publisher's reception, I did wonder indeed. I asked myself, "I'm taking such a drastic U-turn in regard to the Mirror Visitor. Are they going to stand by me?”

And they did. They took it all on trust, really. They didn't even discuss it and say “Well, yes, indeed…” There was nothing to negotiate as regard to the manuscript. As soon as they read it, Gallimard Jeunesse accepted it as is.

The editorial manager called me and said: “Honestly Christelle, if I didn't know it was you, I would never have guessed. I'm flabbergasted", he said.

So it was a nice surprise. And they were eager to get started. Literally-speaking, we do get on well with Gallimard Jeunesse. We're quite on the same wavelength and so everything went well regarding editorial decisions.

The important question was now how the audience would respond. How would the book be received ?

It's quite peculiar as I think the most unanimously used term was 'UFO'.

I think people had much trouble classifying it. For some, it was a good thing, but for others it was too disturbing. It's quite difficult to evaluate this way, but I'd already wondered how many people who had read the Mirror Visitor would stand by me with this new project.

Actually, only a fraction did. Those who knew me from the Mirror Visitor didn't necessarily rushed in, saying: “oh, that's the new book by Christelle Dabos”. I think they realised it wasn't the Mirror Visitor. Ultimately, only a relatively small fraction of my readership did take a look into Here. And the feedback among these was quite contrasted.

There were those who thought, “oh dear, we're puzzled, we're not sure about what we've read, it's quite disturbing and so we don't know if we liked it or not” — and for these individuals indeed that was quite an issue. Not to mention that it could bring back memories.

There were those for whom school had been uncomfortable. Which I can perfectly understand. And others who felt the same way: "Yes, we cannot pigeon-hole it; yes, we are baffled, but we like it. We enjoyed the surprise.” That was in that sense.

In this regard, I found that perfectly normal. But what really took me aback — and I certainly wasn't ready for it — was that I had taken for granted that the professionals in the book industry would stand by me as they had with the Mirror Visitor.

One of the reasons why it had worked so well was because book stores, libraries, teachers and the whole system altogether had all embraced and stuck their necks out for it.

EYAEL: What about influencers? I didn't find much on Here and Only Here.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: Influencers too, of course. There was a meeting with 50 female influencers — I insisting on that since there was only one guy against 49 that day. The meeting was organised for the launch of the book by Gallimard. But I don't think all fifty wrote a review. And for those who did, I had no idea whether it was widely shared.

Someone who had seriously boosted the Mirror Visitor was Émilie Bulledop. She is an influencer with a huge community behind her and she heavily promoted the books. It helps when you get people like that doing the job. I can see the difference now and then.

So now I could feel that, apart from Gallimard Jeunesse and I, the project had far less support from other people. Also, when I visited book stores, libraries and talked to professionals, I realised that some had truly jumped onto the bandwagon, saying, "we really enjoyed the unexpected turn” — while other said, "that book doesn't really make you keen to be a student. I certainly doesn't make you keen to be a teacher. And it addresses very touchy issues. Personally, I would not advise it to hyper sensitive people”.

EYAEL: In her books, psychologist Christel Petitcollin differentiates overefficients from normo-thinkers in the sense that their neurological wiring are totally different and explains, in particular, how a majority of people will avoid existential issues at all costs unlike the minority with the over-active brain working in a treelike rather than linear way. Which might explain such clear-cut responses on both sides.

CHRISTELLE DABOS: The fact is we may not be all equal as regard to fear as we're not all at the same stage of our journey. For instance, before the Mirror Visitor, I had attempted to write on that issue and it had been a total failure. Because I knew … I think I could feel already …

A couple of years back, I said, "I really want to write a story set in a grammar school to address certain issues”. Even though it was considerably softer than what I did with Here, I quickly felt extremely uncomfortable. I thought, "no, I really can't. I'm not ready”. It's only after the completion of the Mirror Visitor and everything I went through … For it was a very long process: between the first volume and the last, I spent twelve years of my life on it — but it also provided a ground where I had to meet many fears. Meet and embrace them.

So once this long process was over, I was ready. But I can understand. I can understand that every one may not be there yet. I think, for a book, the timing is important. There some books you cannot read before and you cannot read after. There's only a right time to read them. And for me, that was it.

To be continued in part 2 …

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A Prayer to Saint Patrick

O Saint Patrick, come to us!

The naughty Leprechauns

Have gone totally insane

Creating havoc all over the Kingdom.

Those lawless demons

Who are challenging you

And unraveling laws,

Are scary as hell.

They got everything painted upside down,

There's no right side anymore.

Everything is at a loss,

Their might is right.

O Saint Patrick, wake up the world!

Shake the legions of sleepy heads,

Bring them out of their deep stupor

To face the Enemy.

Take the scales from their eyes

Before the warmongers,

From beyond our frontiers,

Go tickling the Bear in its lair.

May they stand

Against the Odd

And may the pull of the Light

Win them over.

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Pointing His Star

I wrote this story in 2019 when participating in a collective project with other bloggers, the theme of which was a picture by Christophe Kiciak entitled "A Space Oddity" in tribute to David Bowie. Naturally, Indochine's music and Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince came to mind as well as the violent punitive context of Jupiter's (Macron) minions. The title is a direct reference to an eponymous song by Indochine (in French). Please note, most of the original puns got lost in translation, but I did my best introducing new ones. Hope it does work for you anyway.

Transcript

Stellar castaway from the depths of time, surfing the Milky Way amidst gasses, dust, and white, blue, red, yellow, brown or black dwarf stars, his head still in the clouds and full of nebulae, riding his stark asteroid while aiming at the moon, the singular explorer got pulled in by Earth's gravity.

Snuffed out off orbit above the Étoile by some unfortunate rubber bullet shot from Jupiter's wrath, the starman saw a plethora of stars at noonday—stunning great neon yellow stars—and then... nothing! Supermassive black hole. He'd been pulling so hard on his comet, his lucky star turned pale and flew off to less bellicose climes.

A very long time ago—eons ago, when he was still a very young prince, the starman inherited the throne from his father. And he began to feel so lonely on his tiny little planet in the far outback of the universe. A planet so tiny and unimportant, it didn't even have a name. Just an alphanumeric identification code assigned by a Turkish astronomer, one day, after a long observation through his telescope.

Mainly busy at sweeping volcanoes to prevent the destruction of his asteroid, and uprooting baobabs so that they don't overrun it, this tireless routine weighed so heavy on him, he ended up brooding.

He brooded so much that one evening, on a pitch black night, from the rocky soil sprang up a sublime dark rose. And he loved her passionately to the moon and back.

But the sulphur-fed beauty enjoyed so much playing with fire, she blew his mind. She pulled the weeds over his eyes with a promise to get high up on cloud-nine.

But instead of a honeymoon, he got green cheese and resorted to moonlighting, baying at the Moon, attempting to pull out each of the four thorns of his inconsistent rose.

Since the Moon had waned off, he proceeded to count the stars in the heavens, shouting at her that he would eventually get her. Thus began his odyssey in search of the Moon and of the plurality that would put an end to his singularity.

But before he could land anything on Earth, he was brought down by a dazzling flash and was immediately taken into custody as there was more than met the eye.

They tried to get him to spill his guts, whereas he got the bullet in his eye (damned fools), and take the kitty out of the bag, banging the eardrums. So much for shooting in the dark for he also had turned stone-deaf. And then, anyway, on his planet, there were no cats nor fools. Only a shady rose he started regretting.

“If you love a flower which is one of its kind on the millions of stars in the sky, it is enough to just look at the stars and feel happy. You can say to yourself, ‘I know my flower is out there somewhere.’ But if a sheep eats the flower, all the stars will seem to darken.”

His words rang so earnestly and so in tune with his heart, so pure and innocent, he won over our entire planet. At least, those earthlings who still had a hint of humanity left within. That is to say, not many.

But enough to turn the tide, extinguish volcanoes, and uproot baobabs.

And he added, “But the eyes are blind. One must see with the heart.”

And thus, most inadvertently, by the way, the one-eyed blinded prince from faraway became king in the world of the blind.

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